When Playing House appeared in 1973, Publishers Weekly hailed it, “A probing descent into madness that will fascinate the same audience that appreciated I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” This nationally bestselling story of one woman’s struggle with the lasting effects of a childhood sexual relationship with her brother shocked American readers; it remains a literary work of enduring quality and value. In his foreword Philip Roth writes, “The traumatized child; the institutionalized wife; the haunting desire; the ghastly business of getting through the day – what is striking about Wagman’s treatment of these contemporary motifs is the voice of longing in which the heroine shamelessly confesses to the incestuous need that is at once her undoing and her only hope.”
To be honest, I had not heard of this novel by Fredrica Wagman. I had run across it on a few sites since it is the 35th anniversary of it’s original release and it seemed so compelling, I decided to embark on the reading journey. I must say, it is truly a….disturbing book? This may be a harsh word but it is how I felt as I was reading it and for quite a while after I finished. The unnamed main character was involved in a incestuous relationship with her brother from a young age. This did not start out consensual but her longing for the closeness she experiences with her brother haunts her through her adult life. Her brother is unscrupulous and just plain mean, her father was basically non-existent and her mother seemed to have knowledge of the horrific activities. The book is written in first-person from the girl’s point-of-view as she is an adult. It is a disjointed, jarring, surreal look at her thoughts as she tries to come to terms with her past through speaking with members of the clergy, doctors, psychiatrists and her husband (The Turtle). The effects of her youth haunt every relationship and aspect of her life.
This is not a book with a tidy happy ending. It is dark, sometimes humorous, with a couple of scenes I had to close my eyes and skip over. I am by no means a squeamish sort – but the imagery in certain sections crossed my lines. I may be wrong, but I believe this was the author’s intention. There is not a silver lining when it comes to the subject matter and Ms. Wagman treated it as such. It is a deep look into a deeply shattered psyche.
Following is a short excerpt from Playing House: A Novel
Can’t concentrate. My mind is wandering over him crouched on top of me, over his shoulders to a summer day again, always back to then when a room was filled with sun gold, when the walls were white, when the window glass as crystal clear and there was sunshine always dancing on the floor. Heavy brown silk rugs made a border all around the bed where he pinned me there and said that if I told he’d beat me with the branches of the tree and I never told, no matter what he did I never told, he was my brother.
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Thank you to Julie from FSB Associates for giving me the opportunity to review this book!
I received this book and am going to start sooner or later. I’ve read the back already..it’s certainly one to cringe over. I have considered myself warned then.
Good review though. It’s good to let others know what’s it about.
Twitter: laurelrainsnow
02. Sep, 2009 at 11:23 am #
Wow, now this one sounds like something I should check out! I am always drawn to these seriously disturbing books…lol!
Oh, I have seen this title floating around but I don’t know if it’s a book for me! LOL! Great review!
“Disturbing” definitely appears to be an accurate way to describe this book. Nevertheless, it sounds like an interesting read.
having read i never promised you a rose garden the sybil, i can but imagine what is contained in this book. they are generally great books to read but i think your have to be in a good place mentally before starting one or they hurt too much. that said, i think it will go on my wish list as i have also found great insight and understanding of others reading them.
your review is well done and i am glad you were able to finish it.
This book sounds hauntingly honest. i have never heard of it, but I can see why it got such an immense reaction. Great review – thanks for sharing your amazing find.
Twitter: alipet813
28. Sep, 2009 at 10:19 pm #
I am reading this right now and your review is exactly how I am feeling. It is so intense that I have been thinking very hard about how I will review it at the end of this week.
It is cringe worthy. Not the entire book but overall it left me exhausted.
If you like disturbing you should like this one!
Thanks, I went into it completely unsuspecting.
It was interesting – it didn’t start that way for me but once I got caught up in the narrators flow of thoughts, I definitely became more absorbed.
A mental good place is a definite must. I never read Rose Garden but did read Sybil many years ago. That one really freaked me out!